A young man, though not so young as when we last saw him, and with the beginnings of a goatee on his chin, paused in his work at the docks. "Man, it feels weird not having the Arkos and the SlothFlower in the docks." He stared off into the ocean. "Those damn ships were taking up space since I started working here, and now they've finally sailed." He shrugged. "Oh well. I guess I should just be glad that they're on their way. Still," His eyes seemed to glaze over slightly as his expression turned wistful. "I can't help but wonder where those ships are off to next…"
Second Dates
Arkos
Jaune was (come on, you've read up until this point, you know what's coming) nervous. He was nervous because He was sitting next to Pyrrha watching a fun, charming new movie that he couldn't even begin to focus on. He couldn't focus on it because, in addition to sitting next to Pyrrha he was also, despite his misgivings on the matter, sitting in the back row. The back row of a dark movie theatre. For a movie that had been poorly advertised. Where the other ten or so people there were all several rows further forward. It was like they were in a world all of their own, and Jaune was freaking out a little. Come one man, what are you waiting for? She wasn't exactly shy about why she wanted to sit in the back.
Pyrrha was feeling a little impatient; the movie was good, but it had hit a slow point, as was common for the director. By her reckoning, they had between ten and fifteen minutes where plot and character development was halted in favour of whimsy and serviceable comedy, making it the perfect opportunity to take advantage of their relative privacy, but Jaune was yet to make a move. "So," Jaune's voice, barely even a whisper, caught Pyrrha off-guard, despite the fact that she'd been waiting for it. "How, uh, how are you enjoying the movie so far?"
"Her last one was better." Pyrrha commented dryly.
"Oh." Jaune sounded worried.
"This one's good," Pyrrha elaborated. "It's just that her last one was better."
"It's getting kinda slow, don't you think?" Jaune murmured. Oh good, he noticed.
"Her films always get a little slow for a while," Pyrrha explained. "That's what makes them such great movies for dates."
"Wait, what?" Jaune sounded confused. "Why does that make them good movies for—" Pyrrha cut him off, trapping his lips with her own and gently prying them apart with her tongue. After a moment, she felt his arms wrap around her waist as his tongue began to intertwine with her own. They ended up agreeing to watch the movie again when it was available to download, if only to find out how it ended (a feat that took them three additional viewings).
SlothFlower
The sun was shining, birds were singing, and Ren and Nora were having a picnic. Ren's idea. And a good one, too; simple, low-key fun for the both of them. Ren could relax, laying around on their picnic blanket and enjoying the weather, and Nora, well, it was a park. There were fields to run through, trees to climb, hills to roll down; perfection itself for someone like Nora. "Having fun?" Ren called out to her, a contented smile on his face.
"Yep!" She called back. "But aren't you getting bored? You've just been watching me have fun for the last fifteen minutes!"
"Twenty minutes," Ren corrected. "And I'm not sure if I could ever get bored watching you have fun."
"D'aawww, ya big softy!" Nora threw her arms around Ren's shoulders.
"Guilty as charged." Ren deadpanned.
"Well then," Nora knocked Ren onto his back, savouring the look of surprise on his face as she pinned him. "For your crimes, I sentence you to smooches!" And with that, she leaned down, peppering Ren's face with kisses. She relished seeing her normally reserved boyfriend blushing faintly as, at first, he squirmed half-heartedly, then he tried to match her kiss-for-kiss (Nora appreciated the effort, even if it was futile), until finally, he just surrendered to her attentions. After a few minutes, she relented, simply resting her head on Ren's chest. "This is nice." She purred after laying there a few minutes.
"It is." Ren murmured, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.
"I could stay like this forever…" Nora sighed, and Ren knew she was telling the truth… in a way. She could stay like that forever, but it wasn't necessarily what she'd prefer. He could feel the hum of her pulse, the little twitching, tensing movements of her muscles, the feeling of restraint, as though she were holding herself back.
"Hey, Nora?" There really wasn't much else that Ren could do. "You're it." He tapped her lightly on the shoulder and slipped out from under her, running as fast as his legs would take him.
"I'm gonna get you for that!" Nora called after him, laughing all the while. For the next two hours they ran, wrestled, tumbled and laughed, before finally collapsing in an exhausted heap.
"You got me." Ren noted happily.
"Yep!" She chirped.
"So," Ren raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
"Now, we cuddle!" Nora exclaimed, nestling her head beneath Ren's chin.
"Fair enough." Ren muttered, wrapping his arms around Nora. This was what he wanted: to relax with Nora, not because she was forcing herself to lie still, but because she'd had her fun and wanted to just lie around for a while. It might have been a rarity, but it was always worth the wait. "This works for me."
First Time Saying "I Love You"
SlothFlower
"The beard really isn't working." Ren noted, scratching his chin. More specifically, scratching the pathetic, patchy tuft of hair sprouting from his chin.
"It's not that bad," Nora said, sounding as though she were torn between not wanting to hurt his feelings and not wanting to have to look at his terrible beard any longer. "You just need to wait 'til it starts to grow a little faster."
"Nora, I understand that you're being supportive," Ren began. "But I want your opinion as someone who might have to see this again in a few years."
"It looks like a piece of crap ate another piece of crap, then took a crap." Nora stated bluntly.
"… Well okay then." Ren replied, turning on the hot water.
"Why did you even want to grow a beard, anyway?" Nora asked as the sink filled.
"I wanted to look like my father." Ren muttered, soaking a flannel and wringing it out.
"Oh." Nora said in a sad little voice, and what else could you say, really? Ren sighed as he draped the flannel over his face.
"It doesn't matter." Ren said as he picked up his razor and got to work.
"You know," Nora began in her quiet, serious voice. "You don't need to look like your father to be like him." There was a moment of silence.
"…I appreciate the sentiment," Ren began. "But…" He trailed off, not sure how to proceed, and feeling the familiar sting of grief in his chest.
"But nothing!" Nora shot back. "You're brave, and smart, and strong and…" She looked down at the floor before continuing in a much smaller voice. "You took care of me. You didn't have to, you were just a scared kid, the same as me. But you did." Yeah, you can probably guess this yourself, but Ren's heart pretty much melted at that point.
"Nora…" Ren murmured, stepping away from the sink and wrapping his arms around her.
"You're brave," Nora said, hugging him for dear life. "And you're so, so kind. If you're father could see you, he'd be proud, I know he would."
"Thank you." Ren replied simply. "That… that means a lot to me." That didn't feel like enough, so after a moment's thought, he spoke up again. "You know, I think he'd be most proud that I was with an amazing girl like you." He saw her blush faintly and continued. "You're strong, and sweet, and brave." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "You make everyone around you happy." He kissed her chastely on the lips, enjoying the tiny mewling sound she made. "And wear freedom like a coat." There was nothing chaste about the next kiss, which lasted a good ten seconds. "When my parents died, you're the reason I was able to keep going. If it had just been me, I would have curled up and died, but it wasn't, so I didn't." He stopped for a moment, realizing that he was, in a big way, at a threshold here; he could back down, or push on. "We saved each other that day, and you've kept saving me every day since then."
"R-Ren…" Nora stammered, feeling that uncommon tension that only ever filled the air when something big was about to happen. "What are you trying to say?" The last time she'd felt this tension, it had been when Ren first asked her out, but it hadn't been so strong back then.
"I'm saying that..." He paused, and in Nora's head it stretched out for an eternity. "I love you." And just like that, Nora, for a moment at least, forgot how to breathe.
"Do you mean that?" She asked in a whisper, unable to coax her voice to any volume greater than that.
"Of course I do." Ren murmured, apparently oblivious to the effect his words were having on her.
"I… I can't believe…" This was new. Nora wasn't used to being left speechless, and she didn't like it. Come on, this isn't you! Getting tongue tied, tripping over your words, it's dumb! You're Nora Valkyrie! Now get off of the defensive and tell your Renny how you feel! "I-I… I love you too!" The words came out somewhere between a squeal and a shout, accompanied by the most ferocious hug that can exist without classifying as assault and battery. "I love you so much it makes me crazy!"
"As happy as I am to hear that…" Ren gasped faintly. "I'd prefer if you didn't crack my ribs."
"Oh! Sorry." Nora felt herself blush as she loosened her grip. After a moment of quietly hugging him, she spoke. "This is nice."
"It is." Ren murmured.
"Can we stay like this for a while?" She asked.
"Why not?" Ren responded.
"Boop!" Nora giggled, tapping Ren on the nose. It was a good day.
Arkos
Pyrrha looked calm and collected, but that was a lie. The truth was that, behind her contented little smile, her head was buzzing like a hive of Rapier-wasps. And all because of one simple realization: she was in love with Jaune. Not just a crush, or a fondness. Far beyond attraction or infatuation: this was the real deal, and it was terrifying. Terrifying because she hadn't told Jaune yet, and wasn't sure if she should. What if he doesn't feel as strongly as you do? What if you scare him off?
Thoughts like this had been going through her mind all morning. Uninterrupted. What if he's been having second thoughts about your relationship? He might be thinking of breaking up right now! But if he finds out that you're in love with him, he'll stay with you out of obligation. Making himself miserable just because he doesn't want to break your heart.
"This is ridiculous." Pyrrha muttered to herself. "His sister said herself that he wouldn't be dating me if he couldn't see it working long-term." Saying it aloud made her feel better for a moment, but then…
But now he knows you better! You're not just the celebrity, or the girl who helped him when he needed it the most, you're real! And real is scary! Face it, the more he knows you, the less he'll like you.
Of course, Pyrrha didn't really believe that; after all, learning more about Jaune was how she fell in love with him. But the thought still lingered. But when all was said and done, the way forward was clear: She needed to tell Jaune how she felt. "Jaune, do you have a minute?" She wished she hadn't noticed the way he turned around just a little too fast, as though he were nervous about something. She wished she hadn't noticed the furrow in his brow, or the slight downturn at the corner of his mouth. Unfortunately, she did notice them, and she had to deal with the extra uncertainty that they created.
"Oh!" Jaune squeaked. "Hi, I didn't see you there!" There was something slightly manic to his tone.
"There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Pyrrha said, internally cringing at how uncertain she sounded.
"Well, what is it?" Jaune sounded a little calmer, but still nervous. He's nervous because he's going to break up! This hasn't been working out how he thought it would, and he wants out!
"We've been dating for a while now…" Pyrrha began.
"Actually, I hate to cut you off, but there's something I need to get off my chest." There was a hint of steel to his voice now. Pyrrha usually loved to hear him sounding resolute, but at that moment, it just fed into her anxiety.
"This is really important, Jaune." Pyrrha replied.
"So is this," Jaune replied, and looking at his face, she believed him. "Please, it won't take long."
"Okay, Jaune." Pyrrha acquiesced. "Go ahead."
"This has been great," He began, setting off all sorts of alarm bells in Pyrrha's head. "I can't remember ever being so happy for so long. You've brought out the best in me, Pyrrha. You've made me better than I was, better than I could have been." There was a moment of silence, and for an instant, Pyrrha thought she might be able to relax. "But…" Well so much for that.
"But what?" Pyrrha asked, trying to fight the suspicion that she knew what was coming next.
"Things can't just stay the way they are." Jaune stated plainly.
"…Oh." Pyrrha whispered, her eyes downcast. "Well, if that's how you feel, I won't try to change your mind. I wish we could have made it work, but if you don't want to keep going, then I'd rather end things while we can still be friends."
"Wait, what?" Jaune sounded confused, but Pyrrha couldn't really spare any thought to that.
"I just want you to know that I'm glad we could be together, even if it wasn't for as long as I'd like. You were good for me, Jaune." She felt the tears start, but she just about managed to hold them back. "You made me feel like I didn't have to be a champion or a celebrity, like just being me was good enough."
"You're a lot more than good enough." Jaune interjected.
"I promise I'll try my best not to be bitter about this," Pyrrha went on. "And, well there's something you should probably know." She took a deep breath. "Jaune, I… I love you!"
Jaune wanted to speak, but he couldn't seem to remember how. "Yeabuhwhah?" Not even remotely words.
"I didn't say anything until now because I didn't want to make you feel like you owed it to me to stay, but now that it's over…" She trailed off.
"Wait, what?!" That last detail served to restore his focus, albeit in the form of bowel-clenching terror. "Over? Why? What did I do wrong?"
"You said that things couldn't stay the way they are." Pyrrha murmured sadly.
"And you thought I wanted to break up?!" Jaune spluttered. "That's crazy! What kind of idiot do you take me for?" Seeing Pyrrha's expression (part relieved, part angry, very confused), he decided to just hurry up and explain himself before he upset her any more. "Pyrrha, I… I love you, and I just couldn't go any longer without telling you." There was a moment of silence, followed by laughter.
"I can't believe it!" She squealed, doubled over with mirth. "It's just like when I asked you out!"
"Seriously?!" Jaune exclaimed, barely keeping the laughter in. "How does this keep happening to us?" After a while the laughter subsided, leaving an uncomfortable silence. "I'm sorry for scaring you." Jaune muttered in a small voice. "I really didn't mean to make you think that."
"I know." Pyrrha replied simply. "I'm just not sure what we do now."
"Cuddle?" Jaune suggested. "We did just confess our love, after all."
"I think I'd like that." Pyrrha said, pulling him into a hug.
First time, well… First time
Arkos
Pyrrha was tired, sweaty and very, very happy. She was happy because Jaune, similarly tired, sweaty and (she hoped) happy, was lying next to her in bed. And if you can't work things out at this point then honestly, you probably shouldn't be reading this in the first place. "Was it good for you too?" Pyrrha purred contentedly, providing yet another context clue, just in case you're slow on the uptake.
"Incredible!" Jaune replied, panting slightly. "And you? I mean, it was good for you, right?" He sounded so worried that Pyrrha needed to make an effort not to laugh, a reaction which could very easily be taken the wrong way in such a… delicate situation.
"It was wonderful." Pyrrha assured him.
"It didn't hurt or anything?" Jaune asked, the concern so obvious in his voice, and written so plainly across his face.
"If it had hurt, I'd have told you." Pyrrha murmured.
"And I… got you where you were going?" Jaune blushed crimson as he squeaked out his question.
"And then some!" Pyrhha giggled. "You really seem to know what you're doing."
"Thank Blake and her books." Jaune replied matter-of-factly. "Ninjas of Love, to be exact."
"Remind me to show you chapter fourteen of Passion on the Barricades some time." Pyrrha smirked, reaching out from under the covers to grab the nearest article of clothing. "But for now, I need to get cleaned up." With that, Pyrrha slipped on the plundered clothing and strolled into the bathroom, pausing only to pick up her Scroll.
"I hate to see you leave, but I love to see you go!" Jaune shouted after her, a part of a recent initiative of his to catch her off-guard with just the cheesiest lines imaginable (Weiss got cheesy lines when Jaune was trying to court her, so Pyrrha got cheesier lines).
Yang was surprised to receive a call from Pyrrha so late at night, but she was able to work things out pretty much as soon as she saw Pyrrha's flushed face, her messy hair and most importantly, her attire. "Say, isn't that Jaune's hoodie?" Yang smirked.
"Did I wake you?" Pyrrha asked, apparently choosing to ignore Yang's clear amusement.
"Pyrrha, it's the middle of the night." Yang replied flatly. "Of course you didn't wake me, I've still got another hour or two of partying to go." She paused momentarily, signalling to the bartender to get her another drink "So, what's got you calling me at this hour? Because honestly, I kind of feel like you've got your own stuff going on right now." She waggled her eyebrows, looking very pointedly at Pyrrha's purloined hoodie as she took a gulp of her iced tea.
"The rumours are true." Pyrrha answered bluntly. At first, Yang had no clue what Pyrrha was talking about. But then, the memory of an old conversation surfaced… When you find out if the rumours are true, you tell me, okay? Things clicked into place with that memory, causing Yang to very nearly choke on her drink.
"What rumours would those be?" Yang asked as she took another sip, half-convinced that she was misinterpreting Pyrrha.
"The ones about Arc men." Pyrrha explained simply, causing Yang to spit out her mouthful of iced tea in a brown spray.
"Seriously?! Congratulations!" Yang exclaimed cheerfully. "I'd ask how it was, but if the rumours are true then I guess it must have gone well."
"Very well." Pyrrha replied, grinning dreamily.
"Well, usually I'd offer to buy you a drink," Yang began. "But that's not really an option right now, so I Guess I'll have to settle for saying that I'm glad to hear that you're having fun." She decided to have some fun of her own, and shot Pyrrha a wink. "We gotta meet up sometime so you can tell me if any of my dirty jokes were accurate." For a second, Yang thought she'd scored a point, based on Pyrrha's expression, but then Pyrrha grinned, and she knew that she was wrong.
"More of them than you'd expect." Pyrrha replied flippantly. "By the way, would you mind thanking Blake for me?"
"No problem." Yang chuckled, ending the call. "More of them than I'd expect, huh?" She leaned against the counter and finished her drink. "Nice."
SlothFlower
Ren was in a good place. To be exact, he was in bed. With Nora. Very emphatically with Nora, although not quite to the degree that he was a minute ago. "Wow." Ren gasped weakly, still out of breath.
"That was nice." Nora purred, her head resting on Ren's chest.
"More… than nice." Ren managed, catching his breath mid-sentence.
"Are you okay?" Nora asked, lifting her head and looking him up and down.
"Just tired." Ren assured her, reaching up to stroke her hair. "You wore me out a little there."
"Had trouble keeping up?" Nora smirked.
"A little." Ren shrugged. There was a moment of silence. "This was a big step."
"It was." Nora agreed.
"And I think we should talk about what it means for us." Ren stated plainly.
"Do we have to?" Nora asked, sounding vaguely annoyed. "We both wanted this, and it was going to happen sooner or later."
"But we didn't plan to do this tonight," Ren replied, careful maintaining a level tone. "I'm not completely sure that our relationship was ready for this."
"What's the worst that could happen?" Nora muttered dismissively.
"We get overconfident, move too fast, and mess things up." Ren shot back.
"What, are you worried I'll wanna move in with you?" Nora snickered. "It's kinda late to worry about that."
"I noticed." Ren deadpanned, gesturing to Nora's little wooden hammer on a nearby shelf. "I love living with you, Nora. I've been doing it for long enough." The endorphins were beginning to fade, and he was starting to feel the scratches that Nora's fingernails had left down his back.
"Then what's the problem?" Nora asked.
"I just want to make sure we do things right, okay?" Ren explained.
"I'd say we did things right tonight." Nora teased, stroking his chest.
"I just don't want our relationship to end up being completely centred around the…" He trailed off, blushing. "Physical side of things."
Nora couldn't help it. Of course she laughed. "You must be the only guy alive worried about their relationship getting too physical!" After seeing that Ren clearly didn't appreciate the humour of their situation, Nora decided to be straightforward. "Look, Renny, wasn't tonight good?"
"Amazing." Ren replied, his voice almost a whisper.
"And it wasn't just physical, was it?" Nora insisted. "You felt it too, didn't you?" She looked him dead in the eyes. "We connected there, Ren."
"You're right." Ren murmured, and Nora could tell from his eyes that he was being sincere. "That was something special."
"And it felt really, really good, so why don't we just relax?"
"I can live with that, but could you promise me something?" Ren asked.
"Shoot."
"Promise me that we won't stop spending time together." There was conviction in his voice. "Because if we do, if we become one of those couples that barely sees each other except to jump into bed, then we may as well just give up now."
"Aw, you don't really think that could happen, do you?" Nora teased. "We're never gonna stop doing things together, we just have too much fun!"
"Well, how about we start by falling asleep in each other's arms?" Ren prompted.
"Sounds great!" Nora chirped. "Just let take a quick shower first to clean up."
"Room for one more?" Ren asked, the ghost of a smirk on his face.
"Well!" Nora exclaimed, feigning offense. "You sure got over your fear of intimacy fast."
"I don't have a fear of intimacy." Ren muttered dismissively.
"Prove it." Nora grinned.
"I will just as soon as we reach the shower." Ren shot back. There was a moment of silence.
"Race you?"
Proposal
SlothFlower
Nora could feel it in the air. She didn't know what it was, but she could feel it. A certain, tension in the air around Ren. He seemed to be nervous, and not just regular nervous. Jaune-level nervous, which was unusual to say the least. Some people in this situation might be worrying that he was going to break up with her, or tearfully confess to infidelity. But honestly? It never even occurred to her to suspect anything like that. She knew that Ren still loved her; it was in every look, every touch and conversation, in every last one of his tiny little smiles that he reserved for her. And she knew that he was attracted to her because, well… she'd been presented with some compelling evidence of that the previous night.
Of course, that didn't stop her from worrying. It just meant that, rather than worry that their relationship was in trouble, she was worried about Ren in a more general sense. She wished she didn't feel the need to fret and fuss about him, but the simple truth was that Ren tended to keep his pain hidden. Even though they'd been dating and living together for years, he still didn't open up to her as much as she'd like.
"Hey, Nora?" She jumped slightly as Ren seemed to appear out of nowhere. "There' something I… need to talk to you about."
"Hey, I'm just glad you're ready to talk!" Nora quipped, half-serious.
"I guess I've been a little distant recently, huh?" Ren muttered apologetically.
"A little?!" Nora spluttered. "You've barely said a dozen words to me all day!"
"I know, and I'm sorry." Ren replied in a heartfelt tone. "I've had something on my mind. Something big."
"How big?" Nora asked feeling the faint tingle of excitement begin at the base of her spine. This was it. This was whatever the last couple of days had been building up to.
"Big." Ren stated bluntly. "We've been… together-together for a long time now." Nora couldn't help but smile at his choice of words. Sure, 'dating' would have worked, but 'together-together' was… theirs. It was special. "And we've been friends for even longer." He was definitely setting up for a major shift in their relationship, talking like that. "I know we've talked about it in the past, and I think it might be time…" He fell silent for a moment, his eyes closed. "Nora Valkyrie, will you marry me?"
Boom. Just like that, Nora completely blanked. Movement, speech, thought, none of them seemed even remotely possible in the face off the little velvet box that Ren had produced seemingly out of thin air. After a few moments, she found her voice. "Ren, I… this is so…" Kind of. Come on! This is your big chance, dammit! He's on the hook, so reel him in already! You can be with him forever, but first you've got to seal the deal! And yet, she couldn't quite manage to form a sentence.
There Ren was, a little velvet box in his hands, and his heart in his throat. Every moment of Nora's silence in the face of his proposal tormented him like a piece of red-hot steel in his chest. She'll probably say yes. Well, maybe. Although you're not exactly a promise of high-octane excitement. Sure, you might offer stability, but what else? Are you enough? After a moment and without saying a word, Nora reached forward and flipped the box open in his hands. He wasn't sure exactly how, but the lighting in the room came together just so, meaning that the gems in the engagement ring threw little motes of light onto every surface in the room.
"Oh, Ren…" Nora sounded as though every word was a struggle, and in some twisted way it reminded Ren of that day, of seeing her wounded and helpless. He hated thinking about that, hated his mind for drawing that connection. Hey genius, look at her legs. And indeed, he noticed that Nora's knees were beginning to shake slightly. She was feeling overwhelmed, which… might be good, or might be terrible. "It's so beautiful…" Nora whispered, taking the ring out of its box. The ring itself was a simple band of gold, set with a moonstone surrounded by tiny pink diamonds. Unconventional, but beautiful, and a perfect match for Nora. Something which became readily apparent as she slipped it onto her finger.
"Nora…" Ren practically exhaled the word. "Does this mean that—" He fell silent as Nora planted a gentle kiss on his lips.
"Boop!" She chirped happily.
"I'll… take that as a yes." Ren deadpanned.
"Of course it's a yes, silly!" Nora giggled. And at that, some internal switch in Ren's brain flipped. Which was why he was holding Nora tight, in the sort of rib-straining hug she usually specialized in, with no intention of letting go in the foreseeable future.
Arkos
Jaune was going to die. He was going to have a heart attack, and he was going to die. Here lies Jaune Arc. Beloved son and brother. Devoted boyfriend. Adequate hunter. Moron. Suffice to say, he was nervous. Carrying an engagement ring around for two weeks can do that to a person. He hadn't planned on carrying it around for a solid fortnight, nor on the three months it had spent in his dresser before that, but he just couldn't seem to make the next step happen. He woke up every day hoping that he'd finally find the perfect moment to propose to Pyrrha, and every day he'd be disappointed.
"Well Jaune, I'd say it's time to spar." Pyrrha suggested, rolling her shoulders lazily. Jaune had to grin at that: in all the years they'd been together, they'd never stopped training with each other. He knew it seemed like a bit of an odd thing for a couple to cling to so tightly, but it was theirs, a strange sort of intimacy unlike any other.
"Yeah, I guess so." Jaune replied, falling into a tight defensive stance. His training had placed a focus on defence ever since his value as a medic had been revealed, something which had only increased with the discovery of his Semblance. He was almost certainly going to lose the sparring match, of course. Because as strong as his defence had become, you can't win a sparring match by blocking, and he knew full well that he wasn't strong enough offensively to beat Pyrrha. That being said, he was still going to try.
He deflected Pyrrha's opening strike, but his counter-blow went wide. He managed to sidestep Pyrrha's next effort without losing his balance, but the shield-bash he sent her way missed completely. It was two minutes before Pyrrha landed her first blow, and four before Jaune landed one of his own. Still, he acquitted himself admirably enough, given the calibre of his opponent.
"Twenty-six minutes, forty-one seconds." Pyrrna noted upon defeating him. "You just broke your old record by six seconds." She smirked. "You know what that means, don't you?"
"A-as much as I'd love to," Jaune stammered, the thought of how Pyrrha typically rewarded him for breaking his record causing him to blush. "There's, uh, something else I need to talk to you about."
"Well, it must be important if it can't wait until after what I was planning." Pyrrha purred, stroking his cheek gently.
"It is," Jaune answered, his voice a little hoarse as he fought the urge to just let Pyrrha do as she pleased and then resume the conversation. "It really is. We've, uh, we've been together for a few years now, and it's been good." That didn't feel like enough. "It's been amazing. I ove you, and, well, I can't really see my life working out too well without you, so…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'd rather not risk it."
"Jaune, what are you saying?" Pyrrha sounded confused, but more in an 'understanding but not believing' way.
"I know that you have to take the initiative a lot, Pyrrha, and I'm sorry for that. But this time, I think I'll be making the first move." He fell to one knee and pulled the little velvet box out of his pocket. "Pyrrha Nikos," He flipped the box open, revealing a golden band set with a ruby and two emeralds. "Will you marry me?" Silence. Terrifying, all-consuming silence. She's not answering. She's not answering because she's not going to say yes, and she doesn't want to hurt you. Why did you think this was a good idea? What could have possibly made you think she'd want to shackle herself to a dead weight like you for the rest of her life?
"Oh, Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, throwing her arms around Jaune.
"Gah!" Jaun fell back, thrown completely off-balance figuratively and literally. "The ring!" He squealed, as the tiny little box he'd tied his hopes for the future to tumbled out of his hands.
"I've got it!" Pyrrha exclaimed, surging forward over him, her arm outstretched. Seeing that ring tumble through the air, all higher thought seemed to flee her brain, leaving only a single, primitive impulse; mine. Pyrrha had moved with speed and precision a great many times in her life, most often in battle, but she felt as though she'd never been a swift or precise as she was in the moment where she snatched that ring out of the air, cradling it in her hands like it was the most important thing in the world. "Jaune, it's beautiful." Pyrrha whispered, feeling the tears begin to well up in her eyes. "Of course I'll marry you!"
"Uh, Pyrrha?" Jaune's voice sounded slightly muffled. "As happy as I am, could you please get off my face?" She looked down and, yes, that was definitely Jaune's head in between her legs. Oops.
"Oh!" Pyrrha squeaked, feeling the heat spread through her face as she blushed. "Sorry!"
"Don't be," Jaune replied, seeming almost absurdly casual about the situation. "It's not like I've never been here before."
"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed, half-pretending to be scandalised as she stood up. After a moment, she offered him a hand and helped him to his feet. "So."
"So…" Jaune murmured.
"What now?" Pyrrha asked, too nervous to make eye contact.
"Now? Nothing." Jaune shrugged. "But tomorrow we'll have a lot to talk about."
"That's for sure." Pyrrha muttered, the prospect of telling her parents looming large in her mind.
"You know," Jaune chuckled. "Yang's gonna have a field day if she ever finds out you agreed to marry me while you were sitting on my face."
"And there's no way we'll ever be able to keep it a secret." Pyrrha sighed, contemplating all the mockery that she was in for over that particular detail. "Oh well," She muttered, reaching out and stroking Jaune's cheek. "We might as well have some fun while we can."
"F-fun?" Jaune squeaked, blushing crimson.
"Well, I was already set to reward you for setting a new personal record," Pyrrha purred, circling Jaune like a tiger. "And then you went and proposed, well…" She leaned in so that her mouth was next to his ear, and affected her most sultry tone. "You might have a little trouble walking tomorrow." With that she left him in a daze that lasted all of three seconds before he was making a mad dash indoors.
The wedding
Arkos
It was time. That one though just kept circling in Pyrrha's head. After months of planning and panic (both of which Jaune did his fair share of too), it was finally time. She was marrying Jaune. And she was terrified. What if she made a fool of herself? What if Jaune changed his mind at the last minute? She knew that she wanted this, but did he? And then she'd seen him at the altar, that nervous grin, fidgeting absent-mindedly with the cuff of a tuxedo that fit him like a second skin (midnight blue definitely worked on him), and all of her fears and doubts evaporated.
The ceremony had gone past like a blur, right up until it was time to exchange vows. They'd decided to write their own, of course, and Jaune's were first. "Pyrhha, when I first met you, I was a joke." Suffice to say, this was not what Pyrrha had expected him to open with. "I was the weak, clueless nobody who snuck in with forged transcripts, and I was too dumb to realise how out of my depth I was." His eyes seemed to shine. "And if I hadn't met you, I would have stayed like that until I got myself killed. You protected me when I wasn't strong enough to protect myself, and you taught me how to be better. You taught me how to fight, gave me the confidence to lead… and made me feel like I was worth something." Sincerity, that's what it was. Jaune had always been like that, sincere to the point of being cheesy. "I will always love you, Pyrrha, with all of my heart. I promise, I'll never let you feel unloved, or unappreciated. I'll support you however I can, no matter how hard it is. I'll keep improving in every way I can, always striving to be the best I can, because you deserve the best." He reached up and gently stroked her cheek. "I'll never make you feel like you settled, I promise."
Pyrrha was starting to see why he'd insisted on keeping their vows secret from each other, as her eyes began to grow wet with the threat of tears, and she could tell that Jaune wasn't quite done. "I swear, I love you with all my heart, and that's never going to change. Every challenge we face, we face together. We share our triumphs and our failures. When you're happy, I'll be laughing alongside you, and when you're sad, I'll be there to dry your tears. You said once that I didn't need to be perfect, I just needed to be there." She blushed faintly as she remembered that night on the roof, years ago. "Well, I'll never be perfect, but I'll always be there for you, because I can't even imagine doing anything else." Pyrrha was suddenly deeply concerned, because in a moment, she'd have to say her vows, and she wasn't sure she could speak after hearing that. Her eyes were on the verge of tearing up, her heart was going at a million miles an hour, and the butterflies in her stomach had been upgraded to full-fledged Nevermore. After a moment, however, she'd managed to get her emotions under control to the point where she could say her vows.
"Jaune, when I first met you, I was alone. And you were the first person to reach out to me, with no plans, so ulterior motives, no reason beyond the simple fact that you didn't see any reason not to." Pyrrha was only two sentences in, and Jaune already felt like he might not make it through her vows without blubbering like a baby. "I joined your team without a second thought, if only to look out for you." Jaune felt a very faint blush spread across his face at that. "Over time, as I learned more about you, I came to like you more and more. You trusted me enough to tell me that you'd forged your transcripts to get into Beacon, you swallowed your pride and asked me to train you, you showed up to the dance in a dress to cheer me up…" Jaune felt his blush deepen, and knew exactly what Pyrrha was about to say. "And you really didn't have the legs for that dress." And of course, there was a smattering of laughter from the crowd at that line. "It might sound silly, but seeing you in that dress is what really brought things into focus for me, and made me understand why I liked you so much. You were a strange, silly, unbelievably sweet boy, and you've grown into a stranger, sillier and sweeter man."
"I promise that I'll always look out for you, Jaune. No matter what happens, I'll be there to support you, to help you up when you fall, and to back you up when you're in over your head." Well, you're certainly going to be getting a lot of mileage out of that vow, now aren't you? "I'll always love you, and I'll always make sure that you know it. You said that you'll never stop improving, well neither will I. I'll just keep on getting better, so that you'll never forget why we fell in love in the first place." Yeah… Jaune was crying. But he was fairly certain he was crying in a very composed, dignified way (author's note: he wasn't). "You were my first friend, and my only love, and I'll never let you think that you're not good enough. Because as far as I'm concerned, there's no-one better." It was at this point that Jaune underwent an emotional and mental… shift. A sort of shake-up, due to the fact that suddenly a good half of his brain was now at work trying to find concrete evidence that the entirety of his life since meeting Pyrrha hadn't all just been a dream.
Have you ever tried to find proof of reality? To prove to yourself that you're really awake? It's not as difficult or confusing as it sounds… if you're somewhere familiar. In a familiar location, you just check for anything that obviously shouldn't be there, and if you don't turn up any results, you relax. But if, on the other hand, you happen to be somewhere unfamiliar, well, you're kind of stuck with the classic method. Which is why, as discreetly as possible, Jaune pinched himself. Hard. It hurt a little, but it confirmed what he'd wanted to know; he was definitely awake. Which meant that Pyrrha really was there, looking impossibly beautiful in her strapless white gown.
"Do you, Jaune Arc take Pyrrha Nikos as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and respect, through light and dark, prosperity and poverty, joy and sorrow, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." No nerves. No hesitation. None of his usual… Jaune-ness, only certainty. Because the one thing, then and there that he was sure of was that he'd love Pyrrha until the day he died, and possibly even longer than that.
"And do you, Pyrrha Nikos take Jaune Arc as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to honour and cherish, through light and dark, prosperity and poverty, joy and sorrow, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Pyrrha answered, and Jaune felt the sense of panic that had somehow built up in the back of his mind in a fraction of a second vanish even faster.
"Then by the power vested in me by the city of Vale, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Jaune didn't need to be told twice. Nothing too intense or sloppy mind you, they had an audience, after all. No, it was a sweet, chaste, suitably photogenic kiss, more a promise of things to come than anything else.
And then came the reception. All their friends and teachers from Beacon, their extended families, it was… chaos. Yang was arm-wrestling Yatsuhashi (and winning), Ruby and Penny were out on the dancefloor doing the robot back-to-back, Cardin was dancing with his little sister, and a thousand other points of insanity filled the room. "You look like you're in a good mood." Ren said dryly.
"Well, I did just marry the love of my life." Jaune chuckled, punching his best man lightly on the shoulder. "Kind of surprised you and Nora didn't beat us to it, honestly." He began to regret his joke when Ren suddenly seemed focused on fixing the left cuff of his tuxedo (light grey with a forest green shirt and a pink tie, surprisingly bold for Ren, but it worked on him).
"Well, we were thinking about it, but it was never really the right time, and then you announced the date for your wedding…" Ren trailed off.
"And the real reason?" Jaune asked, feeling entitled to a little sarcasm.
"It's complicated." Ren replied brusquely.
"Is this the whole 'change is scary' thing again?"
"Probably." Ren shrugged.
"Well, if it helps, married life is working out pretty well for me." Jaune grinned.
"All forty-five minutes of it." Ren deadpanned, a faint smile playing across his face.
"Hey, it still counts!" Jaune replied, feigning indignation. "Besides, Nora caught the bouquet."
"She did." Ren nodded, looking pensive.
"Something for you to think about, I guess." Jaune said, keeping his tone carefully neutral. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rescue Scarlett and Sage from my sisters."
SlothFlower
After years of waiting and planning, the day had finally come. He was about to marry Nora. Together-together forever. If he were anyone else, he'd probably be visibly nervous, but he was able to keep things under control to the point where the only evidence to suggest he wasn't entirely calm was the way he kept fidgeting with his tuxedo. He wasn't normally one to worry about screwing up, but this was far from a normal day. And then Nora walked in, and all he could think about was how beautiful she looked. The pale pink dress, the lotus flower worked into her hair, everything about her seemed almost impossibly perfect.
His mind kept on this track throughout the ceremony, right up until it was time for him to recite his vows. "Nora, when I first met you, I was ready to throw my life away." While Ren was usually mature and understated, he'd decided that his wedding merited a little drama. "If I'd been on my own when our village was attacked, I would have stayed there looking for my parents, and I would have died. But if I'd done that, you would have died; I had to stay alive for your sake. And I kept living for you until I was ready to live for me, for us." This wasn't easy. Ren could feel the need to withdraw, to close himself off and stop opening up so much, and he fought against it with every word. "And I promise I'll keep it up. Every day I live, I live for us, for you."
"I know I'm not the best at expressing my emotions, but I'll learn for you, because you deserve to know how much you mean to me. I'll never be cold or distant, and I'll always be honest with you." He felt so full of emotion that he might explode, but his voice remained level. "But most of all, I promise to be there for you. When you lay down to sleep, I'll be there to hold you. When you have a nightmare, I'll be there to comfort you." He smiled, warmly and openly. "And when you wake up, I'll be there to make you breakfast. I can't promise to protect you from everything, and I know you wouldn't want me to anyway, but I can promise to always have your interests in mind. More than just the promise of love, I promise you kindness." Tears beginning to sting at his eyes and a lump in his throat, Ren took a breath before saying the final words of his vows. "No matter what, we'll always be together-together."
Nora opened her mouth a couple of times, speechless. A rare occurrence, to say the least. Her heart was slamming against her ribcage like a hammer (and she would know, after all), her eyes wanted to tear up, and suddenly she couldn't think of anything except for how handsome Ren looked. He was wearing the same basic outfit as he'd worn at Jaune and Pyrrha's wedding, only better tailored, to the point where it fit him like a second skin. After a moment, however, she managed to recover her composure.
"Ren, when I met you, I thought I was going to die." No finesse, no restraint, she just jumped right in the deep end. "I was a starving urchin, my life was already worthless, and that thing… I was sure that it was over for me." She let that sink in for the audience. "And then you showed up. In the middle of all that violence, all that chaos, one brave little boy risked his own life to help a little girl he'd never met." She felt a tear escape and roll down her cheek. "And since then, you've always been there for me. You taught me so much that I never would've gotten a chance to learn, you watched my back, you took care of me when I was at my worst… you gave me everything I needed, and you still do."
"And I want to give you all the things that you need," She continued. "All the love and understanding and happiness you deserve. When you're happy, I'll be there to be happy with you, and when you're sad, there's no power on Remnant that could keep me away from you." She hadn't exactly written her vows, more just worked out the key points, so she was kind of winging it at this point. "You said you'll always have my best interests in mind? Well, I'll always have your back, okay?" She reached out and held his hands. "No matter what happens, I'll be there for you. I know I can be childish, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of you, Ren. I know that it hurts sometimes, being left alone with nothing but your thoughts, nothing but your memories. I know because I've been there! And I promise, you'll never have to hurt like that again. I promise, because I love you Ren. I love you so, so much."
"Do you, Lie Ren, take Nora Valkyrie as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and respect, through light and dark, prosperity and poverty, joy and sorrow, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Ren answered, his voice measured and decisive.
"And do you, Nora Valkyrie take Lie Ren as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to honour and cherish, through light and dark, prosperity and poverty, joy and sorrow, for as long as you both shall live?"
"Just try and stop me." Nora replied, grinning like an idiot.
"Then by the power vested in me by the city of Vale, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
"Well, you two certainly got people talking." Pyrrha noted, passing Nora a champagne flute.
"I'll say!" Jaune chuckled. "Most weddings have a lot less butt-grabbing at the altar."
"Where's the fun in that?" Nora snickered.
"I…" Jaune trailed off. "Don't know what to say to that."
"She has a point," Ren smirked throwing his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Her way is a lot more fun."
"I'd have thought that marrying the love of your life was enough fun on its own." Pyrrha joked.
"There's always room for more fun!" Nora replied confidently.
"Is that why you asked Professor Port to walk you down the isle?" Jaune asked jokingly.
"Who else was there?" Nora asked, genuinely perplexed. She'd come to view the eccentric old man as a father figure while attending beacon, a feeling that had persisted after graduation.
"Is it true that he cried when you asked?" Pyrrha asked.
"Indeed I did!" Prof. Port declared, appearing as if from thin air (but actually from the nearby buffet table). "And why wouldn't I? To be honoured in such a way by one of my favourite students is a delight that could melt even the coldest of hearts!" He leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially. "Which, incidentally, is why Ms. Goodwitch shed a few tears of her own when Ren asked her to walk him down the aisle."
"Seriously?" Jaune snickered. "Goodwitch teared up?"
"Indeed!" Port declared merrily.
"Amazing." Ren muttered, shaking his head.
"So, what's next for you two?" Pyrrha asked brightly.
"You know, I'm not entirely sure." Ren muttered.
"We'll work it out as we go along," Nora offered. "We always do."
Kids
SlothFlower
Nora was feeling energized, even by her own high standards. It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her, and was bouncing back and forth inside her with every beat of her heart. This was it; the day had finally come. The adoption paperwork had cleared.
It had never really been much of a question for them; a pair of orphans? Of course they were going to adopt. To be specific, they were going to adopt a three-year-old boy named Lee whose parents had been killed by Grimm. They'd known as soon as they saw him that they were going to adopt him; a story so like their own and a tiny-terrified face were enough to convince them, and his name simply made them even more certain.
"Well, Miss Valkyrie (Nora had decided to keep her surname); with the paperwork taken care of, all that's left is to take him home."
"Hey there Lee," Nora murmured, keeping her voice down so as to avoid startling the shy little boy. "Did you miss us?"
"'s Miss V'lkry." Lee squeaked, barely audible.
"Didn't I tell you to call me Nora?" She laughed lightly. "And speak up a little, okay?"
"Yes Nora." The little boy muttered, looking a little less nervous.
"We have something to tell you." Ren murmured, laying a hand on Lee's shoulder.
"Pack your things!" Nora beamed. "The paperwork's done, and we're taking you home!"
"Home?" Lee asked, wide-eyed and amazed.
"That's right," Ren said. "Home. Our home."
"Your home." Nora added.
"Home," Lee said, as though he were struggling with the concept. "I have a home."
Arkos
It occurred to Jaune, as he watched his daughter Angela play with Ren and Nora's son Lee, that his life had turned out better than he'd ever even dreamed. Sure, there'd been some bumps on the road to happiness; he had far too many scars to forget that, but it had all been worth it. He was a respected Hunter with wonderful friends, and amazing wife, and a beautiful little girl, and at that moment, he couldn't think of a thing, not a single thing, that could make his life any better.
"What are you thinking about?" Pyrrha asked, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
"Oh, just about how lucky I am." Jaune replied, kissing his wife's forehead.
"We're both lucky." Pyrrha replied simply.
"I'd say I got a little more luck than you," Jaune chuckled. "How often does guy get a girl that's everything he ever wanted and saves his life repeatedly?"
"And how often," Pyrrha countered. "Does a girl meet a boy that's everything she ever wanted, saves her life repeatedly, and takes half the pain out of childbirth?" Jaune grinned at that; a delightful side benefit to his Semblance was that, as it turned out, replenishing and bossting somebody's Aura also served to dull their pain response somewhat, and with no risk of side effects.
"Well then I guess you're right." Jaune sighed contentedly. "We're both lucky."
"Ren and Nora too." Pyrrha noted.
"Luck nothing!" Jaune snickered. "No way was Nora ever going to let him get away from her."
"I could say the same about yourself and Pyrrha." Ren noted idly, appearing silently between them.
"You can say that again!" Nora giggled, appearing as if out of thin air. "Pyrrha was on you like Ruby on a plate of chocolate chip cookies, you were just too dumb to notice!"
"Well," Jaune muttered, blushing pinkly. "You're not wrong." He reached into the icebox at his feet and pulled out four cans of People Like Grapes (tradition is a funny thing sometimes), handing them out before raising his in a toast. "Here's to luck!"
"To love!" Pyrrha toasted.
"To family!" Nora exclaimed.
"...To redheads." Ren smirked.
And, years later, the inevitable…
"So Lee," Jaune began, his voice level. "What exactly are your intentions towards my daughter?"
Author's Notes: And with that, Arc Angel is done! There's no more! I had a lot of fun writing this whole… thing, and I really appreciate the feedback I've been getting. I honestly don't know what I can say about this; I got to write more pervy Pyrrha, which is always fun, and I hit all the major moments I was looking to do something with. But here's where I need to ask you guys something. See, my OCs received a… mixed reception, but the actually predate this whole story. In fact, when I first started writing this, I thought it was going to be much shorter, because is main purpose, at least at first, was to introduce Team DTNT. But, well, I got really into this story, and now I have to wonder… should I give Team DTNT their own story? It would be shorter, and still have a lot of time devoted to, y'know, actual RWBY characters, but… is it worth the effort? How many of you guys would even read it? Well, that's it for now. But hey! Even if Team DTNT never get their day in the sun, I'm already working on a new story! Teen Titans this time, so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks.